A Discussion of the Philosophies of Cruising and Circumnavigating

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by CaptainForce

From the mid-fifties to the mid-sixties I sailed little prams and a small sliding gunter rig in Ft. Lauderdale. In 1971 my wife and I bought a 30' Whitney in Annapolis and moved aboard. We've been liveaboard cruisers since that time. We raised our two children on Morgans and have cruised our current Morgan OI 41 since 1985. Our cruising style is the "cockpit potato" mode. We often spend the summer in Maine and take as much as three or four months to cruise to the Bahamas in the fall. Destinations are not committments and early afternoon anchorages are frequent. We have no goals to travel faster than the earth tilts it's axis for the sun's angle of incidence. We frequently sail without a destination and anchor where we left that same morning. We don't consume our ports and enjoy returning to our same forty to fifty harbors that we enjoy. Although we do not forsee an ocean crossing, we keep equipment and storage similar as most all posted above and spend as long as six weeks from a dock. Our essentials are: dinghy, outboard, radar, solar panel, wind generator, diesel generator, redundant ground tackle w/windlass, ample fuel-water-holding tanks, berths for guests, shoal draft, nav/communication toys and reliable propulsion with rig and diesel. We are definitely "cockpit potatos", but we lown nothing ashore except our bank accounts. Take care and joy, Aythya crew

Outstanding!! I like your philosophy.

I also like your phrase "cockpit potato" -- never heard that one. But it's a good description of how we sail, when we're out for our comparatively short weekend or vacation jaunts.

[cormeum]

Late to the party, but I'll add some thoughs:
We're "cold water" sailors (Maritimes, Labrador, Great Lakes) and at least as of now, I have no desire to go to the tropics. When I retire, my dream is a Greenland- Iceland- Faroes- Scotland kind of trip or maybe the NW passage (which may be ice free then ). Due to the differing weather conditions I've experienced, some things are pretty high on the list:

Radar (sailing in day after day of fog can really suck)

Heat (more of an issue than AC for obvious reasons- Even the northern Lakes get pretty cold in the Summer) We have a solid fuel fireplace but I lust after a Webasto hydronic system- mmmmm, heeeeaaatt!

A decent autopilot (our boat isn't set up for a windvane) so therefore batteries and charging systems are more of a concern

I've been kicking around the idea of FLS (forward looking sonar) but won't be going back to "icy-land" anytime soon so that's on hold.

I've been ambivalent about chartplotters but would consider them a "nice to have". Ill agree that paper can get bulky on a long cruise. I'll probably wind up getting one down the road. (probably still keep the paper though)

If the boat sinks under me I'd like to have an EPIRB and a liferaft (they all suck to varying degrees but what's the alternative?)

Harnesses, jacklines etc. Finding a corpsickle is no fun, you gotta stay on the boat.

So I'm sort of a middle of the roader when it comes to creature comforts, good foulies , a good heater and good books are enough for me. TV is anathema but CD's are nice.

Offshore, SSB/Ham is really useful (as well as inshore when you're in the middle of nowhere). In the really high latitudes (further than I've gone) SSB doesn't work well so someone might consider a satphone- I never had one.

GPS- good to have, don't rely on it (Damn it's convenient). I'd love a gyrocompass (Big $$$) Sperry has a ring laser gyro (no moving parts)that if someone could get the price down would be just the thing(Hint Hint Hint )- Sperry gouges for everything they make as far as I can tell. I don't have a solution to this one but a good magnetic compass and a good variation chart worked for most (fine for us up to the low 60's N.)

So in the philosophy department, spend the money to minimize risk to the boat and crew, go light on the creature comforts.

[sailusvi]

just checking in....

[kevandraper]

Having cruised 10 years ago for 25,000 miles, I now have the opportunity to go again ( recent divorce). Am currently looking for something to single hand 36-40ft. As far as the yacht is concerned , something with a full keel and reasonably sturdy. Kit wise, Radar with alarm.........to be able to sleep on crossings, HF to be keep in touch with friends and weather nets. Self steering is a must. Solar or wind to keep the batteries charged. Somewhere comfortable and airy to sleep. Some space this time. 85% of the time you will be at anchor or in a marina. Would like a liferaft , even an older one just in case. Never had problems before with water so no need for a water maker, no need for a generator, solar and wind kept my batteries absolutley full. My vote for the best peice of kit has definately got to be self steering, aries, monitor etc. I doubt I touched the wheel from Aussie to Japan, "humphrey" my faithfull old aries drove us all the way !!

[sailingdog]

Ken—

You'd really be better off starting your own thread or posting in a thread with a topic closer to what you're looking to find out answers for. I'd highly recommend you read the POST in my signature, to help you get the most out of sailnet.

[smackdaddy]

Originally Posted by kevandraper

Having cruised 10 years ago for 25,000 miles, I now have the opportunity to go again ( recent divorce). Am currently looking for something to single hand 36-40ft. As far as the yacht is concerned , something with a full keel and reasonably sturdy. Kit wise, Radar with alarm.........to be able to sleep on crossings, HF to be keep in touch with friends and weather nets. Self steering is a must. Solar or wind to keep the batteries charged. Somewhere comfortable and airy to sleep. Some space this time. 85% of the time you will be at anchor or in a marina. Would like a liferaft , even an older one just in case. Never had problems before with water so no need for a water maker, no need for a generator, solar and wind kept my batteries absolutley full. My vote for the best peice of kit has definately got to be self steering, aries, monitor etc. I doubt I touched the wheel from Aussie to Japan, "humphrey" my faithfull old aries drove us all the way !!

Hey kev - welcome to SN dude.

[blt2ski]

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

Hey kev - welcome to SN dude. And whatever you do, don't read Dog's post.

+2!!!

[tdw]

Brian old man, smile sweetly and give a hearty cheer as we wave old Floyd goodbye.

[blt2ski]

I was wondering if mr Floyd was not a spoon full of sugar spammer! Glad to know the wombi got him, and not the tongue licking cavy! the wombi put him out of his misery MUCH quicker! LOLOLOL

[jameswilson29]

I consider myself to be a typical, casual, weekend sailor on the Chesapeake Bay, who enjoys the occasional extended cruise. I have crewed on other people's racing boats. I have spent as much as 9 consecutive days cruising aboard a small sailboat and have done a coastal hop from Cape May, NJ, to Cape Charles, VA. I doubt I would ever circumnavigate as I have to work for a living and support a family. I would like to do more extended coastal cruising and perhaps sail to Bermuda one day.

My sailing philosphy is KISS (Keep it Simple Sailor) and MOTB (Master of the Basics). I find it challenging just to maintain and control the basic systems on a relatively small sailboat, particularly while singlehanding. I am amazing at folks who will venture out in large sailboats that depend on technology, electronics, and extensive mechanical devices to function. I like the natural, romantic, poetic ideal of sailing, the way folks sailed 50 or 100 years ago - celestial navigation, oil lamps, mechanical self-steering, no refrigeration, no reliance on the engine or a generator, and certainly no GPS, roller furling, computerized mapping, etc (I do use a compass, navigation lights, inboard diesel, depth gauge and speedo).

I believe a sailor should still be able to handle his boat after all the modern technological devices and systems have broken down. It seems as if many of the problems we read about on sailnet involve sailors who are not able to do this because of their reliance on technology, complex systems, and convenience/comfort items.